Precious Stones - Turquoise
by Serpentine Princess
Summary: She was inhabiting an avatar doomed to repeat the same loop. She reminded herself daily, and kept a careful distance from them all. Eleven days, a successful party, no romance, and she went to sleep pleased she'd avoided a bad ending. She woke up back in her own apartment. She couldn't stop herself from weeping. RESET and a variant of the MULTIVERSE Theory both apply
1. Turquoise - Day Zero

AN: Self/reader insert.3rd Person omniscient is the perspective I'm most comfortable with. I know there are some that grumble but I'm self-indulgent. ^^; I'm not half bad at this whole writing thing (most of the time) so I figured I'd give this a go. I'm also MM obsessed Jumin-trash, so can you really blame me? ;)

Mystic Messenger and its associated characters are the property of Cheritz. I do not own anything save for my flight of fancy that might be loosely labeled as a "plot"

-The First Day-

She woke up feeling directionless. There was a vacant feeling in her mind that had at some point drifted and surreptitiously slipped its way throughout her body, contaminating her to the marrow of her bones. Where was she?

The fogginess didn't diminish. It lingered a bit too much to be dismissed as simply stirring from sleep. Her suspicions were confirmed when she shifted and the entire room followed. It left her grasping her sheets in terror. Vertigo had her breathless. Where was she? She didn't dare move. Breathing deeply and slowly she turned her head. White walls, no decorations in sight. Her eyes scanned the rest of the room. It was so non-descript, it could have belonged to anyone. She spotted her purse on the bedside table. Was that her phone? She pressed the heel of her palm to her forehead. The gesture did nothing to alleviate the fogginess or pressure she felt in her head. She couldn't help but feel like she was forgetting something important.

That thought was swept away by a wave of intense and sudden nausea. It had her squeezing her eyes shut and groaning.

"What happened to me?" She croaked, her voice showing signs of extended disuse. She felt like she'd been hit by a truck. Did she make it to happy hour? This was one hell of a hangover, if so. But she'd never been much of a drinker, always keeping careful control of her intake. She was a bit of a brat in that regard, preferring to avoid indulging in things that resulted in (or her mind, anyway) disproportionate levels of discomfort. Was she drugged? She couldn't remember the night previous and honestly felt as though she was in alien surroundings. Her phone and purse seemed familiar. She was far too young to have any signs of dementia or cognitive decline, this she knew. It was odd how these bits of unsubstantiated information and instinct were enough to put her at ease. The brain was really an amazing organ. She heaved a sigh. She decided it was time to sit up and see if she could tolerate a shower. That might be a good step to take. Something about the thought of the hot water set her at ease. The first thing she had to conquer was not falling over. This pounding in her head had yet to abate so she wasn't feeling at all optimistic.

 _Fuck._ She thought as she slowly sat up. She braced herself, feeling a touch wobbly. She swallowed against a resurgence of nausea. Mission shower time was off to an okay start. She stood up and made her way to the doorway of her room. Why didn't it feel like this was home? Why was her mind stuck on that thought? She spotted a towel hanging from a hook on the back of her bedroom door and reached for it. Surely, this level of familiarity only came from being at a place that was home for her? She made her way to the bathroom, determined to get clean and clear her head.

 _God, if you're out there, please help me remember. I feel so lost right now._ She despaired as the water washed over her. At least this way she didn't have to deal with tears stinging her cheeks. She gave into her feelings and sobbed. This would all pass. This state of confusion had to be temporary.

After a heartening crying fit in the shower, she felt depleted and it did mitigate the pressure of her emotions but she had a feeling it wasn't as helpful as having a clue would have been. She dressed, finding appropriately sized underthings in the dresser. She wore an oversized sweater and leggings. The room was a touch chilly, she thought as she plaited her hair. More problematic than the weather was the fact that the room and apartment bore no distinctive signs of who she was as a person. It was like a placeholder. She regarded herself in the mirror. A strange idea came to mind.

"This is not how my face is supposed to look." Her features were off in some way. Her eyes, she knew to be correct, a mix of green blue and amber. Her headache returned with a vengeance.

It was just then that her phone began to buzz.

 **Unknown:** _…Hello..?_

She grimaced as she looked at the reply box.

 ** _Moi: ?_**

 **Unknown:** _Can you see this?_

 ** _Moi: Who are you?_**

 **Unknown:** I'm sure you're surprised. It's not every day you get a text from a stranger.

 **Unknown:** I'm a bit flustered myself. I found a smartphone at the subway station, but all it had was this messenger app.

 **Unknown** : I want to find the owner but I don't see any contact info or call records.

 **Unknown** : I've been sending messages with this app but no reply…

 **Unknown** : All I see is an address and some important-looking numbers saved in notes.

 **Unknown:** I'd like to go there myself but I'm currently abroad. . .

 ** _Moi: First. . .who are you?_**

Her heart was racing. Was this a clue? Was she going to be able to sort out the clusterfuck that her life was? The prospect was as exciting as it was nerve wracking.

 **Unknown:** Me? Oh sorry. I didn't even introduce myself. I'm just…a student studying abroad. I'm Korean.

 **Unknown:** I could tell you my name but it doesn't really matter.

 **Unknown:** You won't find me on any search engines ^^;

He was certainly fast at texting. She was so nervous.

 **Unknown:** But, anyways. . . Can you help me find the owner of this phone? I know you're surprised to have someone suddenly pop up and ask you a favor like this. But still… I'd appreciate it if you could help.

 ** _Moi: Why should I help you?_**

 **Unknown:** Since you're the only clue I have. I've been trying to find the owner with this phone but I didn't find any clues until now. I would really like to find the owner.

 **Unknown** **:** Then God will be happy.

 **Unknown:** Oh! Sorry I didn't mention it before. I'm religious.

 **Unknown:** Never mind what I just said. I'm sorry if I weirded you out. Can you please help me? I'll make it up to you if I get to go back to Korea.

 **Unknown:** It's a really safe place. If you feel unsafe you can turn around. I know the area. It's developed.

 **Unknown:** Please?

She swallowed her misgivings. What did she have to lose at this point? She didn't know who she was.

 ** _Moi: Fine . . . I'm leaving right away if it feels sketchy_** **.**

 **Unknown:** You trust me. . .

 **Unknown:** Thank you.

 **Unknown:** Just a sec I'll send you the address.

 **Unknown:** Found it

 **Unknown:** Address [Click link]

Her finger hovered in uncertainty over the address that would undoubtedly open up her GPS and lead her to wherever this stranger was sending her. Although could he really be considered strange when she was the one accepting this quest? The destination was close. She quickly got her bearings and packed some things. A jacket, a messenger bag with some essentials, and her purse. She left, praying quietly as she locked the door to her apartment. Seized with panic she took a picture of her apartment and the building. She also used her GPS to bookmark this location as home. She hoped she'd have some clues to go off of later on but it wouldn't be smart if she didn't know how to get back. Everything was so fuzzy, after all.

She had her misgivings but he wasn't wrong. There was nothing sketchy about the place. Well illuminated and developed. It was near downtown which meant easy access to public transit. Did she have any other money than what was in her wallet? She shook her head to dispel lingering feelings of dizziness. She input the password.

 **Unknown: Why don't you go inside?**

Well, here was to going with the flow. She stepped inside the small apartment and as the door clicked shut she couldn't help but think that she'd made a pretty big decision. No going back now.

She wasn't wrong. If she had an inkling of what awaited her, she would have certainly tossed her phone into the nearest trashcan and tried a different way to find herself and her memories.


	2. Another Round

_-Another Round-_

After two failed attempts at reunion, she began to realize that the rules of the game were not for her to discern. They were beyond her current understanding. In spite of that, she was clearly failing to adhere to them. She had to let him go. She wept. She cried at this realization, knowing that they'd talk about having a baby and she'd wake up alone, returned to her apartment. She missed him already. She couldn't help her tears and selfishly soaked up his warmth when he hugged her, offering silent comfort. His kindness burned her. She bore it with the knowledge that this would likely be the last time she'd be with him.

"I love you. Never forget that." She whispered to him that night. He smiled somewhat perturbed by her melancholy.

"Never. How could I? I'm the luckiest man alive." He chuckled at the end, reminding her of his youth. She'd miss the joy of basking in his light. It wasn't hers to keep. She had been selfish. She breathed in his scent and hugged him fiercely. He returned her embrace, ever the supportive spouse and lovely man he'd grown to be.

That morning, she woke up to familiar surroundings. Back in time, one would think that was cause to celebrate. She screamed into her pillow. She was like a specter, a shadow of her previous self. Assuredness left her even as she followed his instructions. Feeling recalcitrant and sullen, she decided to deviate.

 ** _Moi: There's no password lock._**

There. Take that, you strange man. That would show him she was no one's puppet. He had to be in on this whole thing. This was how she could break the cycle.

Unknown: Are you sure? The response conveyed incredulity, but there was something else she couldn't quite place. Still, she was determined.

 ** _Moi: Yep, I don't see a thing_**. She replied calmly, putting her phone away.

 _"Why don't you stop lying, Ofelia?"_ His reply had dread pooling in her stomach, his voice distorted and far too close for her to be anything but terrified. The way her name sounded from his lips was nightmarish.

He was behind her. Tactical misstep here, it seemed. She wanted to run. She was unable to do so. The rug had been pulled out from beneath her feet. She hadn't anticipated that her refusal would be met with such a drastic deviation. She stepped away from this newcomer. Her back met the wall and she cursed her own predictability. She'd donned the garb of the quarry and fallen prey. This white wolf would be her end. A part of her mind hysterically countered that she should be thankful. This might mean she could stop this.

"I'll treat you like a princess." He loomed over her and there was nothing but black.

This path she'd decided upon left her with nothing but pain and flashes of insanity. Laughter, hollow. There was so much blood. Pain, screaming, was that her own voice? It all seemed so far away. She heard laughter but it wasn't that of her captor. She'd finally broken. Mirth bubbled up and into her bones. She was happy. Beyond the pain was ecstasy. There was this sense of joy that defied her understanding. This was paradise. She continued to laugh.

Darkness found her again and she had never been happier to slip into oblivion.

She was back at her apartment. She gasped and sat up expecting to be greeted with bars. She smelled the detergent, stubbornly clinging to her sheets. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness she recognized plain walls. She was back. She wouldn't disobey again. Clearly she was being played by the game, rather than being a player. It was time to reassess her chosen strategy.


	3. Reset

–Reset–

"The realm of man is frightening indeed." The voice was somewhere above her. As confusion thrust itself upon her the speaking continued. Where was she? She was in a room of some sort but it was devoid of any defining characteristic. She was seated upon what she thought was a floor. In reality her surroundings had a very surreal appearance. Undulating color that she figured was best suited for snapshots of deep space filled all surfaces. She looked around in fascination. She'd almost forgotten she wasn't alone. Her company was quick to remind her.

"Oh human child, your wishes are folly." It stated. There was an interesting quality to the voice. If she were honest, it seemed to resonate in her mind rather than coming from a specific source. The idea in and of itself was peculiar but she was not alarmed. "Your world was not enough."

"I'm sorry, where am I? What happened?" She'd found her voice and was determined to get an understanding of what this surreal conversation was really about.

"Travelling. Child of man, daughter of Eve, your wishes were heard."

"Wishes?"

"To help them, were the words."

"Wait. If what I'm thinking is true…" She paused. There was absolutely no way this was happening. "That's an option?" She was incredulous. Who wouldn't be, in her position?

"Anything is possible." The voice sounded a touch sad. "If one is willing to pay the price. Nothing can be gained without sacrifice. It is what nature demands."

"I don't have anything of monetary or worldly value…" She replied quickly, her composure starting to fail her as she thought of the possible consequences.

"That is not the currency we seek." The same voice had taken on another quality. Perhaps she'd missed it before. It was hungry. Was she going to wake from this strange nightmare? They continued.

"You will wake but not in the way you might hope. We'll be watching, child. Your choices are important. You have all the power to grasp the ending you desire."

"Ending?" She gasped. Seeking out the source of this voice. It was dark and she could see nothing. "Is this a game?"

The response was drowned out by cacophony. She felt air whistling past her ears as though she were falling from a great height. She closed her eyes and brought her hands to her ears.

She woke up in her apartment covered with the sheen of sweat she normally had during a nightmare. Her heart was pounding and she could hear little other than the rushing of blood as she struggled to breathe and calm down. What had she been dreaming of?

"What am I forgetting?" She asked the darkness in her room. It held no answers.


	4. Interlude I

_**Interludes and Remembrance**_

We exist amid infinite possibilities. Our social constructs and structures a way of finite beings coping with what lay before them. Humanity and its time. Humanity and its society. Humanity and its hubris. She lay awake at an ungodly hour unsure of why she was so enthralled with this thought eddy her brain had stirred up.

"Le Chatelier's principle haunts me." She said solemnly to the darkness in the apartment. "All systems seek balance and nature won't abide a void. In spite of this being true, why am I stuck on the idea? Why is this so important?" She sat up her heart racing in spite of the fact that she was thoroughly confused.

She kicked her sheets off and began to pace. This frenetic energy of anxiety taking root in her had to be dispelled somehow.

"I repeat the days." She began. "No matter the ending I can't stay. Good or bad, it has nothing to do with the cycle." She sighed and paused in her pacing. "If my choices and endings do not matter how do I break the cycle? My choices are supposed to mean something. That much is clear. One wrong move and I'm dead, kidnapped, or some horrible combination of the two." Her eyes drifted over to the light of the CCTV. The only light at present. Instead of being stifling this was comforting. Maybe there was a moment she'd have no one watching her.

"This is a game yet it is not." She continued her rambling and pacing. She hoped that giving voice to some of these thoughts might highlight potential holes in her hypotheses. "Clever though I am, I am missing the rules. I wanted to come here. I can only imagine I wanted to break the cycle for them…even if they don't fully remember." She stopped and stared in the direction of her bed.

"What am I missing? I wanted to help. I am not silly enough to believe that love is the answer here. That would only work under the presumption that this power to travel was not self-interested…" She gasped. "Wait. Wait. Wait. Could that be the extent of it? I was granted a wish, to come here but it didn't necessarily extend further? No guidance? Am I stuck here now too? But how does that help anything?" Her hands went to her head, massaging both her temples in tandem.

It was all connected. Her apparent amnesia, the repetition, the endings, her choices. She just couldn't put her finger on how. She paced and paced the apartment paying little mind to the slowly lightening sky's reminder that she was missing out on much needed sleep.

"I am Ofelia. I am a fraction of myself if my memories are missing. I wanted to come here and change things. Some of my abilities to reply and explain are limited. If I see them, I can speak freely. If I phone them I can talk. If I made a wish to be here, what did it cost me? What part of myself did I sacrifice? Did I sacrifice our ability to escape this place?" She hummed. "I am also MC. For now, until I can satisfy the puzzle and break free. Can I truly end it for all of us?" When she closed her eyes she became aware of a startling notion.

"Jumin isn't the only one to remember the resets." She gasped at her own idea. "Zen remembers in his dreams…..and who else?" She furrowed her brows as a line from one of her favorite shows immediately came to mind.

"Premonitions are nothing more than remembering in the wrong direction…"


End file.
